Zuffa, LLC Officially Announces Strikeforce Purchase

The deal that shook the MMA world is officially done.

On Monday, Zuffa, LLC announced the official purchase of Strikeforce, with continued promises that the organization will run as a separate entity for the time being.

The deal to purchase Strikeforce could go down as one of the biggest moments in MMA history, as Zuffa now owns the two biggest fight promotions in the world, and bring their brand into recognition along with major sports leagues like the NFL, MLB and the NBA.

“We have worked hard to make mixed martial arts the fastest growing sport in the world,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’ve spent countless hours getting this sport regulated and taking the Octagon all over the world. Acquiring the Strikeforce assets allows us to continue to develop this sport into a global force.”

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta echoes similar sentiments, while also pointing out that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker will remain an intricate part to the business plan they have going forward.

“We intend to operate Strikeforce as a separate business much like we did with the WEC for many years,” Lorenzo Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of Zuffa, said. “We look forward to working with Scott Coker, and the entire Strikeforce and Showtime teams to continue to provide quality content for mixed martial arts fans.
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“We’ve long admired Scott Coker and the Strikeforce business he launched and developed,” Fertitta continued. “We feel that together with Scott, we can continue to build both Strikeforce and the UFC.”

Until Monday, Strikeforce leader Scott Coker had been off the radar, but through the press release he stated his first feelings on the deal, and he’s ready to move forward with the future of Strikeforce and working with the Zuffa entity.

“This is an important day for the sport of mixed martial arts,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. “We are excited to work with Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta, Dana White and everyone at the UFC on the quest to make MMA the biggest sport in the world. Fans can continue to expect quality Strikeforce shows and we look forward to giving our athletes an even broader platform on which to perform.”

The UFC will hold a conference call on Monday at 1pm ET with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta both on the call to discuss the Strikeforce purchase with the media. MMAWeekly.com will have full coverage of the call as well as posting update on Twitter.